Method and system for delivery of goods

ABSTRACT

The present publication discloses a method and system for delivering goods from main system (S 1 ) via subsystem (S 2 ) to an end address (D 1 -D n ) of the customer ( 3 ). According to the invention the end address (D 1 -D n ) of the customer ( 3 ) is enquired ( 4 ) from the customer via telecommunications network by a multiple choice enquiry ( 4 ), the end address (D 1 -D n ) selected by the customer is received ( 5 ) and the goods are delivered to the selected end address (D 1 -D n ).

The present invention relates to a method, according to the preamble of Claim 1, for delivering of goods.

The invention also relates to a system, according to Claim 8.

Methods and systems of this kind are used, for example, for delivering of goods for customers.

According to the prior art, delivery of goods is based on a predetermined sending address, which is static for each person.

However, in the modern life people have several actual addresses like home address, working address, summer home address etc. The present systems send goods to one of the static addresses and at most checks if the person is in this address. For example a package sent from Finland to UK to a predetermined mailing address (also end address in this document) will be first received by a Finnish post office. From this office it will be delivered to the international department and further collected to group of packages heading to UK. In the UK the package will first reach a sorting office and will be sent in accordance with the mailing address to the corresponding branch post office. The branch post office delivers the package to the mailing address determined in the package. By this present method occur several false delivery attempts. This causes trouble both for the delivery company arid for the customer in form of additional costs and unnecessary delivery attempts have also a negative ecological effect in form of increased carbon emissions.

The invention is intended to eliminate the problems of the prior art disclosed above and for this purpose create an entirely new type of method and system for delivery of goods.

The invention is based on using the mobile terminal of the client as a virtual address and using an enquiry to this terminal for determining the real destination address for the goods.

More specifically, the method according to the invention is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing portion of Claim 1.

The system according to the invention is, in turn, characterized by what is stated in the characterizing portion of Claim 8.

Considerable advantages are gained with the aid of the invention.

The solution facilitates a dynamic address for the customer which is constantly updated. By this feature essential cost savings are gained in the delivery organization side. As a consequence also the customer prises can be reduced.

The delivery firm obtains always an updated actual delivery address without changing the general delivery system. This an essential advantage because delivery systems like mailing systems and courier services are based on highly standardized solutions where there is no room for major system changes.

In the following, the invention is examined with the aid of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 shows schematically a solution according to the invention.

The following terms are used in combination with the reference numerals:

1 sorting office

2 branch post office

3 client, clients mobile terminal

4 delivery address enquiry

5 delivery address information

6 end delivery of the product

7 address information

8 intermediate delivery of the product

S₁ main delivery system

S₂ delivery subsystem

S₃ delivery system end level

D₁-D_(n) end delivery addresses

t₁ product delivery start time

t₂ intermediate product delivery time

t₃ product end delivery time

According to FIG. 1, in the prior art delivery systems the goods would have been delivered front the system S₁ through system S₂ to one of the destination addresses D₁-D_(n) in t he end address system S₃ in accordance with one address information defined before the delivery process.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sorting office 1 sends information to the branch post office 2 of a package that will be sent to a customer. This information will be sent in accordance with the invention e.g., electronically via telecommunication network. For this purpose may be used the internal telecommunication network of the delivery organization, external telephone network, internet etc. The telecommunications protocol may be e-mail, SMS, packet-switched data etc.

The branch office 2 will send an enquiry 4 to the customer for which one of the possible delivery addresses the customer wants to receive the package. This information will be sent in accordance with the invention e.g., electronically via telecommunication network. For this purpose maybe used telephone network, internet network etc. or another telecommunications network with adequate geographical and custom coverage. The telecommunications protocol may be e-mail, SMS, packet-switched data etc.

The customer replies to the enquiry, whereafter the actual package is sent from the sorting office 1 to the branch post office 2 and from there to the customer.

As an alternative embodiment of the invention, if it turns out from the answer 5 to the enquiry 4 that the client 3 is close to his own branch post office 1 the delivery can be sent to another branch post office. Further, if it turns out from the answer 5 to the enquiry 4 that the client is on holidays, the delivery may be delayed. This procedure might need a multiple step inquiry/reply process, and in this case in accordance with the invention so called dynamic Dialogue Matrix (DDM, will be described later) may be used for managing the multistep dialogue.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the sorting office 1 starts delivering the goods at time t₁ by all intermediate good delivery 8 to a branch post office 2 based on the general delivery address data like town or area. When the delivered goods arrive to the branch office 2 the system makes an end address enquiry 4 to the client's terminal 3 via telecommunications network. The enquiry 4 can be made e.g. as a text message (e.g. SMS) where the client is allowed to select from multiple destination addressed D₁-D_(n). The address information 7 relating to each customer is stored in the system. The enquiry 4 may be e.g. such a text message where the suitable end address D₁-D_(n) can be selected as a single character (1, 2, 3, A, B, C . . . ) from the terminal's 3 keyboard. In other words the enquiry may be a multiple choice enquiry. These addresses D₁-D_(n) are stored in the delivery systems database and can be dynamically updated during enquiries for example allowing for the client one additional selection “none of the listed addresses” and enquiring the content of the new address in a new message which will be updated into the system's database. After reception of the delivery address information 5 the goods will be delivered to selected correct end address of the multiple end addresses D₁-D_(n). The delivery of the goods happens at time t₃.

The intelligence of the system is typically positioned in the main system S₁ or subsystem. S₂.

Alternatively, in accordance with the invention the delivery address enquiry 4 can be made also from the main delivery system S₁ and in this case the only address the system needs is the identity of the mobile terminal 3. In this case S₁ sends the end address information via telecommunications network also to S₂ whereby the information delay of the prior art between t₁ and t₂ may be avoided almost completely.

The terminal 3 is typically a mobile phone but may be also be a palmtop or laptop computer or their equivalent.

The telecommunications protocol is typically SMS, but the invention can be used also with other protocols like e-mail, push-email etc.

The location of the mobile terminal can be also used as a preliminary information of the client to deliver the goods to a correct delivery subsystem S₂ or even to a correct end address D₁-D_(n).

The method and system according to the invention are implemented, with the aid of at least one computer, in a telecommunications network.

For processing and managing enquiries 4 and corresponding replies 5 can be used so called dynamic dialogue matrix DDM invented and developed by the applicant of this document. For example in document EP1939770 is described a solutions where client such replies are managed, when a client has been given a number of questions and the client is using SMS text messages or similar technology in which a reply does not automatically include an explicit reference to the inquiry. The publication presents a solution using dynamic dialog matrices. Am inquiry always includes some kind of receiver's address or identification. In the SMS text message case that is so called B subscriber's number. On the other hand, sender's A subscriber's number or Calling Line Identity (CLI), or similar identification is also attached to each text message. If a mediator service that sends inquiries to a client, uses different A subscriber numbers in different inquires, it is possible to differentiate between answers based on which number the client is sending replies to. Using a dialog matrix, a mediator keeps track on inquires and answers. In the matrix, there is column for each client and a row for each A subscriber number the mediator is using. After sending all inquiry from a certain A subscriber number to a client, the status and the reply is stored in the corresponding shell of the matrix. As a result, the mediator is able to find out whether the client has replied to a certain inquiry and what the answer was. 

1. Method for delivering goods, in which method goods are delivered from main system (S₁) via subsystem (S₂) to an end address (D₁-D_(n)) of a customer (3), characterized in that the end address (D₁-D_(n)) of the customer (3) is enquired (4) from the customer via telecommunications network by a multiple choice enquiry (4), the end address (D₁-D_(n)) selected by the customer is received (5), and the goods are delivered to the selected end address (D₁-D_(n)).
 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the enquiry (4) is sent from the subsystem (S₂).
 3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the enquiry (4) is sent from the main system (S₁).
 4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the end address (D₁-D_(n)) information is sent from the main system (S₁) to the subsystem (S₂) via telecommunications network.
 5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a short message (SMS) protocol is used for the enquiry (4) and reply (5).
 6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the location information of the client (3) terminal is used to control the delivery at least on subsystem (S₂) level.
 7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a dynamic dialogue matrix (DDM) is for managing enquiries (4) and corresponding replies (5).
 8. System for delivering goods, in which system includes means for delivering goods from main system (S₁) via subsystem (S₂) to an end address (D₁-D_(n)) of the customer (3), characterized in that it further includes means for enquiring the end address (D₁-D_(n)) of the customer (3) via telecommunications network by a multiple choice enquiry (4), receiving (5) the end address (D₁-D_(n)) selected by the customer (3), and delivering the goods to the selected end address (D₁-D_(n)).
 9. System according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes means for making the enquiry (4) from the subsystem (S₂).
 10. System according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes means for making the enquiry (4) from the main system (S₁).
 11. System according to claim 10, characterized in that it includes means for sending the end address (D₁-D_(n)) information from the main system (S₁) to the subsystem (S₂) via telecommunications network.
 12. System according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes means for performing the enquiry (4) and reply protocol by a short message (SMS) protocol.
 13. System according to claim 1, characterized in that in includes means for using the location information of the clients (3) terminal for controlling the delivery at least on the subsystem (S₂) level.
 14. System according to claim 1, characterized in that in includes a dynamic dialogue matrix (DDM) is for managing enquiries (4) and corresponding replies (5). 